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Outlines/Transcript
Transcript The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim and Moby are shown sitting together and reading. Tim is reading a book called “Robots.” Moby hands him a letter. Moby: Beep. Tim opens the letter which reads: Dear Tim and Moby, I have to write an outline for my research report. Where do I start? Thank you, Janelle. Tim: Well, an outline is like a map that helps you figure out how all your ideas are connected. When you organize all your information into distinct categories, you’ll find that your paper has a much better structure. Moby: Beep. Tim: Well... like...right now I’m writing a research paper about robots! Before I write my report, I need to gather information and organize it by topic. Then I figure out what goes where and write an outline. An outline is sort of like a rough draft of a report – it tells you what you’re going to say and in what order, but without going into every little detail. Tim: Before you make an outline, you have to spend some time researching and taking notes on your topic. Your topic is what your paper is about – in this case, robots! Four stacks of index cards are shown labeled: Robot History, Robots Today, Kinds of Robots, Robots of the Future. Tim: All these cards are filled with notes I’ve taken, and I’ve sorted them into related piles: “Robot History,” “Kinds of Robots,” “Robots Today,” and “Robots of the Future.” Moby: Beep. Tim: Yeah, sorting them out is half the work. Most outlines use alternating letters and numbers to show where information fits into the paper. It usually starts with Roman numerals for the main categories. Moby: Beep? A series of Index cards with roman numerals I, II, III, IV, V,VI are shown. The I card has the word Introduction written next to it. The VI card has the word Conclusion next to it. Tim: Yep, the first and last sections are always your introduction and conclusion. Even before your introduction you should note down your topic. Tim reaches down and adds two index cards to the arrangement. On the top, “Topic: Robots.” And between topic and introduction, he adds “Thesis:” Tim: Underneath your topic is your thesis, which tells your reader the major point you’re trying to make in the paper. My thesis is “Robots have been important in the last century, and they will become more important over the next month.” So, all the information in my paper needs to help prove that point. The big headings after the introduction are the main sections of my paper. Tim picks up the card that reads: “Kinds of Robots.” Tim: Sometimes you’ll find out that information you thought fit into a certain category like this section about different kinds of robots, actually doesn’t. I might bring this back later, or put some information about kinds of robots within other sections. Anyway, right now, I think it makes more sense to divide my paper up into just three main sections. Under each of the main topic headings go to your subordinate ideas. Those are points that relate to each main heading. I guess the first thing to go under “future” should be my information about experimental robots, and then I want to have a section about the areas where robots will probably be useful. Tim places two new index cards below “IV: Robots of the Future”: “Experimental Robots” and “Future Uses.” Below “Future Uses,” Tim places “Warfare,” “Robots that fight germs,” and “Robots that deliver medicine.” Tim: Under your subordinating ideas go the supporting details that give specific information. In this case, the details are the specific medical uses that robots might have some day.Usually, you need to have at least two details for each subordinate idea – and two subordinate ideas for each topic heading. Moby: Beep. Tim: The last part of any outline is the conclusion, where you sum up what you’ve said in the paper. Using an outline is a great way to take all your research and put it into a logical framework. It can help you understand all of the information in context and ensure that your paper gets your point across. Tim places a card under the “Conclusion” card which reads “Someday, robots will be able to do anything humans can do – mention Robot vs. Human wars. Moby: Beep. Moby looks at Tim angrily. Tim: Come on, don’t tell me you don’t think a robot war’s going to happen at some point! Moby: Beep. Tim. Fine. Moby removes the final card and replaces it with one that reads: “Robot Domination.” Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP English Transcripts